Texas couple shocked to receive small armory of M16s… The couple reported the find to the authorities. [More]
It’s easy to ask “Why?” Me, I’d be wondering if this was a setup and what I could possibly do with them that wouldn’t invite one.
It’s like, imagine you found a suitcase with a million dollars worth of cocaine inside — Aside from the fact that I’d find selling it immoral, I not only don’t know anybody who has a connection into that world, I don’t want the people who do have one even knowing about me.
That’s the “problem” with us “law-abiding” and peaceable types. We don’t know firsthand how the dark side works. And despite smears to the contrary, we are heavily conditioned against hurting others, which is why so many DGUs end without a shot fired. It takes a lot to get us going, to the point where by the time we do react with appropriate force, it may already be game over.
Those who aren’t similarly self-restrained know and count on that. And that’s why training, repetition, and anticipation are so important.
[Via Remarks]
“Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives arrived and took control of the case and received a search warrant for a storage unit with at least 99 more, according to the report.”
Gee, Let’s do some math. At at least seven pounds per rifle times twelve rifles then the case that was seized would be 94 pounds heavier than an empty case. Depending on construction, an empty case probably weighs ten to twenty pounds. Since these cases were probably shipped on multiple pallets, then the total weight of the shipment (from the bill of lading) minus the weight of the empty pallets minus the empty weight of all the empty cases should give you the weight of all the rifles. Divide by the weight of a single rifle should get you the number of rifles, without opening more than the first case and perhaps the second case (which probably would be 94 pounds lighter then the full case) to determine the weight of an empty case. I suspect that the full case seized by BATFE was much heavier than the rest so it was easy to identify and isolate.
You’re expecting an awful lot of figurin’ from the “Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it off with an axe” folks.
Besides, they’d have to take their jackboots off to do the math.
I don’t know if you have ever personally handled shipping pallets, but the weight one to the next can easily vary by twenty pounds or more depending on constructioin style and materials used. So IF fove of them were of the lighter types and the rest average, the weight of the whole consigment could easily be right within expected or calculated weight. So the weight of the whole shipment tells nothing significant.
That’s Iike hitting the billion dollar powerball
I’d prolly have closed up The One said nothing, and set it down in the middle of the back row on the bottom in the storage unit. After six or eight months of selling off the non-The Ones then pick up that one and put the contents somewhere else. ATF come round knocking up my door after some military dweeb realises what’s in The One I’d just step back and let them search the pile. IF they find The One, OH MY how did THOSE get here? If they never come round knocking………
Be tempting to take one out for a ride, though, in which case the curtain would be swept aside and my secret spilt.
Daydreaming can sometimes be fun. Mostly a waste of time, though.
But BATF have such a fine track record of ineptitude its sometimes fun to play”what if”.